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You Can Be Nasty When You Are Young, But You Really Have To Be Older To Achieve Bitterness.
-Fran Lebowitz
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You Can Be Nasty

Fran Lebowitz
...
You Can Be Nasty When You Are Young, But You Really Have To Be Older To Achieve Bitterness.

Understanding the Quote: "you can be nasty when you are young, but you really have..."

This quote by Fran Lebowitz reflects deeply on the theme of bitterness. It connects to the universal human journey of purpose, motivation, and reflection. Often categorized under Bitterness, Nasty, Achieve, the quote offers insight, emotional clarity, and intellectual inspiration to readers worldwide.

Whether you’re a student exploring new ideas, a leader trying to motivate your team, or someone seeking direction in life — this quote provides value. It resonates because it’s more than words — it’s a bridge between experience and wisdom. It shows how Fran Lebowitz interprets life's core challenges and triumphs.

Lessons From the Quote

This quote teaches resilience and focus. It reminds readers that no matter where they stand in life, reflection and self-awareness lead to growth. Each word has meaning, and when studied, it becomes clear how impactful thoughtful language can be.

About Fran Lebowitz

Fran Lebowitz is celebrated for insightful thoughts on bitterness and nasty. Their legacy lives on through writings that guide, comfort, and inspire. Discover more on their profile page.

Actionable Takeaways

  • Reflect on how this quote applies to your current life path.
  • Share the message with someone who needs inspiration.
  • Write your thoughts on this quote in a journal or blog post.
  • Use it as a daily affirmation or reminder.

Closing Thoughts

Quotes like this endure because they capture universal truths. They comfort us in solitude and empower us in groups. Carry this quote forward — live by its wisdom, share its message, and keep its essence alive.

Views: 16584
Topic
Bitterness
Nasty
Achieve
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Waitress
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Relationship
Fall
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Writing
Different
Looks
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Heart
My Dream Writing Room Would Be The Imperial Library In Vienna.
Dream
Writing
Library
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Children
Rain
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Cereal
Color
I Believe In Talking Behind Peoples' Backs. That Way, They Hear It More Than Once.
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Talking
Way
People (a Group That In My Opinion Has Always Attracted An Undue Amount Of Attention) Have Often Been Likened To Snowflakes. This Analogy Is Meant To Suggest That Each Is Unique - No Two Alike. This Is Quite Patently Not The Case. People, Even At The Current Rate Of Inflation - In Fact, People Especially At The Current Rate Of Inflation - Are Quite Simply A Dime A Dozen. And, I Hasten To Add, Their Only Similarity To Snowflakes Resides In Their Invariably And Lamentable Tendency To Turn, After A Few Warm Days, To Slush.
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Two
People
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Two
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People
Pet
Twenty-four-hour Room Service Generally Refers To The Length Of Time That It Takes For The Club Sandwich To Arrive. This Is Indeeddisheartening, Particularly When You've Ordered Scrambled Eggs.
Eggs
Twenties
Room Service
If You Want To Get Ahead In This World Get A Lawyer -- Not A Book.
Book
World
Want
I Don't Like The Kind Of Country Living Where You Have To Help. I Like Country Living Where There Is Help.
Country
Helping
Kind
I've Done The Calculation And Your Chances Of Winning The Lottery Are Identical Whether You Play Or Not.
Funny
Money
Winning
It's Very Important When Making A Friend To Check And See If They Have A Private Plane. People Think A Good Personality Trait In A Friend Is Kindness Or A Sense Of Humor. No, In A Friend A Good Personality Trait Is A Gulfstream.
Friends
Kindness
Thinking
People Are Constantly Telling Me, Whether They Are Friends Who Feel Sorry For Me, Because I Can't Find A Place To Live, Or Real Estate Agents, "you Can't Afford An Apartment The Size You Need With This Many Books. Why Don't You Just Put Some Of Your Books In Storage?" And I Always Say The Same Thing: "what If I Told You I Had Four Children? Would You Say, 'you Just Can't Afford To House Four Children. Why Don't You Just Put Two Of Them In Storage?'" That's How I Feel.
Children
Sorry
Real
I've Never Had The Experience Of Being Edited And Never Will.
Edited
The 3 Questions Of Greatest Concern Are:, 1) Is It Attractive?, 2) Is It Amusing?, 3) Does It Know Its Place?
Doe
Amusing
Attractive
Generally Speaking, It Is Inhumane To Detain A Fleeting Insight.
Fleeting
Insight
Inhumane
I Just Write When Fear Overtakes Me.
Writing
Vegetables Are Interesting But Lack A Sense Of Purpose When Unaccompanied By A Good Cut Of Meat.
Food
Cutting
Vegetables
In Fact, We Live In A Culture Where Intelligence, Exceptional Or Not, Is Reviled.
Culture
Facts
Exceptional
[children Are] Like Talking Animals. Their Consciousness Is So Different From Ours That They Constitute A Different Species. They Don't Have To Be Particularly Interesting Children; Just The Fact That They Are Children Is Sufficient. They Don't Know What Anything Is, So They Have To Make It Up. No Matter How Dull They Are, They Still Have To Figure Things Out For Themselves.
Children
Animal
Talking
In The Soviet Union, Capitalism Triumphed Over Communism. In This Country, Capitalism Triumphed Over Democracy.
Country
Democracy
Literature
Your Responsibility As A Parent Is Never Great As The Case Is With The Mother.
Mother
Responsibility
Parent
You Can't Go Around Hoping That Most People Have Sterling Moral Characters. The Most You Can Hope For Is That People Will Pretend That They Do.
Character
People
Literature
This Idea That People Have To Love And Understand Each Other Is Absurd. It's Not Human Nature.
Ideas
People
Human Nature
Presently It Appears That People Are Mainly Concerned With Being Well Rested. Those Capable Of Uninterrupted Sleep Are Much Admired. Unconsciousness Is In Great Demand. This Is The Day Of The Milligram.
Sleep
People
Demand
Smoking Is, If Not My Life, Then At Least My Hobby. I Love To Smoke. Smoking Is Fun. Smoking Is Cool. Smoking Is, As Far As I Am Concerned, The Entire Point Of Being An Adult.
Fun
Smoking
Adults
What Starts Love Is Your Ability To Stupefy And Blind Yourself To The Point Of Being Able To Fall In Love. What Stops It Is Waking Up.
Love
Fall
Wake Up
Smoking Is, As Far As I Am Concerned, The Entire Point Of Being An Adult. Many People Find Smoking Objectionable. I Myself Find Many - Even More - Things Objectionable. I Do Not Like Aftershave Lotion, Adults Who Roller-skate, Children Who Speak French, Or Anyone Who Is Unduly Tan. I Do Not, However, Go Around Enacting Legislation And Putting Up Signs.
Children
Speaks French
People
Knowingness Is Sexy. The Opposite Of Sexy Is Naivete.
Sexy
Women
Opposites
Any Artist Who Has That Quality Of Timelessness Has That Quality Because They Tell The Truth.
Artist
Quality
Telling The Truth
Generally Speaking, The Poorer Person Summers Where He Winters.
Summer
Winter
Persons
Don't Bother Discussing Sex With Small Children. They Rarely Have Anything To Add.
Sex
Children
Humorous
Girls Who Put Out Are Tramps. Girls Who Don't Are Ladies. This Is, However, A Rather Archaic Usage Of The Word. Should One Of You Boys Happen Upon A Girl Who Doesn't Put Out, Do Not Jump To The Conclusion That You Have Found A Lady. What You Have Probably Found Is A Lesbian.
Girl
Women
Gay
I Have A Hard Time Writing. Most Writers Have A Hard Time Writing. I Have A Harder Time Than Most Because I'm Lazier Than Most. [...] The Other Problem I Have Is Fear Of Writing. The Act Of Writing Puts You In Confrontation With Yourself, Which Is Why I Think Writers Assiduously Avoid Writing. [...] Not Writing Is More Of A Psychological Problem Than A Writing Problem. All The Time I'm Not Writing I Feel Like A Criminal. [...] It's Horrible To Feel Felonious Every Second Of The Day. Especially When It Goes On For Years. It's Much More Relaxing Actually To Work.
Writing
Hard Times
Thinking
I've Never Seen The Kardashians; I'm Not Sure Who They Are. But I Know A Lot About Them Because It's Impossible Not To.
Impossible
Not Sure
Knows
To Me, O'hara Is The Real Fitzgerald.
Real
If, While Watching The Sun Set On A Used-car Lot In Los Angeles, You Are Struck By The Parallels Between This Image And The Inevitable Fate Of Humanity, Do Not, Under Any Circumstances, Write It Down.
Writing
Fate
Car
If You Are Truly Serious Abut Preparing Your Child For The Future, Don't Teach Him To Subtract Teach Him To Deduct.
Children
Literature
Serious
Most Writers Write Too Much. I Have The Exact Opposite Problem. I Feel I Could Write Almost Anything In A Paragraph. I Have A Natural Ability To Condense, And So I Often Think, "are You Kidding Me? Five Thousand Words? How Am I Gonna Make 5,000 Words Out Of That?"
Writing
Thinking
Opposites
There's Also The Idea In This Country [usa], It's Not Wholly New, But It's New In Its Kind Of Purity, In That You Have To Be Really Smart To Be Really Rich. I Always Say To People, The Reason People Believe This Is A) They've Never Met A Really Smart Person, And B) They've Never Met A Really Rich Person. I Have Met Both, And I Cannot See The Crossover. You Do Not Have To Be A Genius To Get Rich. You Have To Be Ruthless To Get Rich.
Country
Smart
Believe
That Which We Call Civilization Is Merely The Accumulated Debris Of A Chilling Number Of Bad Nights.
Night
Civilization
Numbers
I Have Always Preferred The Company Of Older People. No One In The History Of The World Has Had Less Interest In The Young Than I Do. I Am Not Interested In What Young People Are Thinking. They're Thinking Less Than Old People, Of Course. I Mean, What Could They Be Thinking? And What Are They Doing? They're Doing The Same Stupid Things You Did.
Stupid
Mean
Thinking
If People Had Gavels, There Would Be No Wars. If Every Person In The World Had A Gavel And Could Bang It And Get Everyone's Attention Right Away And Make Their Displeasure Known, I Believe The Level Of Actual Violence In The World Would Just Disappear To Practically Nothing.
War
Believe
People
Cheese That Is Required By Law To Append The Word Food To Its Title Does Not Go Well With Red Wine Or Fruit.
Food
Wine
Law
Being A Woman Is Of Special Interest Only To Aspiring Male Transsexuals. To Actual Women, It Is Simply A Good Excuse Not To Play Football.
Football
Play
Special
Raisins Are A Thing That Lasts, They Come In Small Boxes, And You Always Feel Like Eating Raisins, Even At Six In The Morning. A Raisin Is Always An Appropriate Snack.
Morning
Food
Snacks
There's Nothing Like Being Old To Be Sure Of Everything.
Being Old
If There Were, Say, Only 10 Percent Of The Hotels That Exist Now, There Would Be All These Apartments For People Who Live In New York, As Opposed To People Visiting New York. And Then All This Junk In The Theater, We Would No Longer Need The Kind Of Stuff That Tourists Like.
New York
People
Junk
When I Fly, I'm Never Afraid The Plane Is Going To Crash. But There Have Often Been Times When I Was Afraid It Wouldn't Crash. I Was Just Afraid It Was Going To Circle O'hare For The Rest Of My Life.
Circles
Modern Life
Crash
Luckily When You Drive A Cab There Are Two Things: You Don't Have A Boss In The Cab With You, And You Are Not Facing The People That You Are Making Money From.
Two
People
Boss
I'd Like To Decide Who Comes Here. I'd Like To Be The Admissions Director Of New York.
New York
Directors
Admission
There Are Too Many Books. The Books Are Terrible. And This Is Because You Have Been Taught To Have Self-esteem.
Self Esteem
Book
Taught
There Is One Thing That Has Disappeared, Not Just From The U.s. But From The Entire World, Is The Idea Of Ever Being Embarrassed By Anything.
Ideas
World
Embarrassment
Radio News Is Bearable. This Is Due To The Fact That While The News Is Being Broadcast, The Disk Jockey Is Not Allowed To Talk.
Funny
Sarcastic
Humor
I Hate Writing. I Will Do Anything To Avoid It. The Only Way I Could Write Less Was If I Was Dead.
Hate
Writing
Way
Money...buys Privacy, Silence. The Less Money You Have, The Noisier It Is; The Thinner Your Walls, The Closer Your Neighbors.... The First Thing You Notice When You Step Into The House Or Apartment Of A Rich Person Is How Quiet It Is.
Wall
Silence
House
I Do Not Believe In God. I Believe In Cashmere.
Believe
Cashmere
I Believe
What People Don't Know Is: Clothes Don't Really Fit You Unless They're Made For You. Especially When You Wear Men's Clothes, Like I Do. American Women Think That Clothes Fit Them If They Can Fit Into Them. But That's Not At All What Fit Means.
Mean
Thinking
People
I Have A Real Aversion To Machines. I Write With A Pen. Then I Read It To Someone Who Writes It Onto The Computer. What Are Those Computer Letters Made Of Anyway? Light? Too Insubstantial. Paper, You Can Feel It. A Pen. There's A Connection. A Pen Goes Exactly At Your Speed, Whereas That Machine Jumps. And Then, That Machine Is Waiting For You, Just Humming "uh-huh, Yes?
Real
Writing
Light
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